For the first time since the firing of former Head Coach Dennis Allen, the New Orleans Saints have relieved a coaching staff member of their duties midseason.
After the bye week and a 2-5 start, the team moved on from Run Game Coordinator T.J. Paganetti.
The move comes after the team has averaged just 86 rushing yards per game since the season began and has only notched 29 rushes by running backs of 10 or more yards since 2025, the fewest in the NFL.
With the move, all eyes will now be on whether the Saints’ rushing attack improves. Only the team’s performance on the field will reveal how much impact this decision has.
Head Coach Kellen Moore has described the building of the ground game as a “collaborative opportunity” with multiple coaches in the mix.
“It’s a collaborative opportunity for all of us,” he said. “[Offensive Line Coach Brendan Nugent] and T.J. obviously do a lot of the prep work leading up to it. From there, I get involved and we get a collaborative effort with the entire offensive staff, similar to the pass game.”
The approach isn’t much different from that which Moore took in his previous stops with the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers.
Changing one of the minds in that structure may not be enough, so it will be interesting to see if any additional adjustments have been made. Not every change has to result in someone losing their job, but unfortunately that’s what it ended up meaning for Paganetti.
The Saints will now have to show that they can move forward and find progress in the rushing attack with this move alone, assuming there are no further changes for the team.
New Orleans does not have a 200-yard rusher on its roster yet, but could be getting a weapon back in the backfield in the next few weeks with Travis Etienne Jr. eligible to return from injured reserve. That return could happen sooner rather than later depending on how his hamstring recovery has gone.
The team will likely continue to have Nugent and Moore working together to get things on track, which will undoubtedly include input from Assistant Head Coach and Running Backs Coach Joel Thomas, as well.
Those names will immediately go under a microscope, however, if things don’t move in the right direction in the near future.
New Orleans faces the Cleveland Browns in Week 9. The team currently ranks No. 24 in rushing yards per game surrendered (126.9) and No. 25 in rushing yards allowed per attempt (4.7).
